Mark Zuckerberg’s first connected glasses designed for the metaverse wouldn’t come out until 2024, but until then, Meta is making its mark with the Ray-Ban Stories. These glasses created in partnership with Ray-Ban are now on sale in France at 329 € .
These glasses include two 5 Mpx cameras and three microphones to record videos or take photos without taking your smartphone out of your pocket, since they respond to voice commands and are controlled with gestures on the branch. Scary ? Meta tries to reassure everyone who will be around a wearer of Ray-Ban Stories by indicating that an LED lights up when the cameras are activated.
To demonstrate that “The Ray-Ban Stories have been designed with respect for privacy”the social network also argues in a manual that they don’t allow streaming live video, only recording audio and videos are limited to 30 seconds… oh no, actually 60 seconds, the limit has just been increased.
Recorded videos are transferred to the app Facebook View (which obviously requires you to log in with your Facebook account), which then allows you to share them on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp or another service. The glasses also have speakers to answer a call, or even listen to music or a podcast.
Ray-Ban Stories are also real eyewear available in 28 variations across a range of classic Ray-Ban styles (Wayfarer, Round and Meteor), colors and different lenses. They are marketed on the Ray-Ban website as well as from authorized stores.